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Who will buy Twitter? That should be on every user's mind because it's going to happen fast. Let's look at the facts first.
Fact #1: According to Technology Review, Twitter had 100,000 users at the end of March. More important, the community is doubling in size every three weeks. That kind of hockey stick growth is the stuff of legends. We're talking ICQ and YouTube territory. They're not going to sit on the shelf for long.
Fact #2: Twitter doesn't monetize its audience right now, but it's working on it. However, there's an important thought to consider. Many of the the most active people on Twitter are serious influencers. Further, a lot of them voluntarily receive messages via IM or, even better, on their mobile phones. That's every marketer's dream. If Obvious Corp, Twitter's parent company, can come up with a way to let the community opt into relevant mobile messages, it will be a cash cow. You can get a taste of this by checking out Woot on Twitter. Some 1700 people already opt-in to receiving deal notices via these channels.
Fact #3: Twitter is a cheap acquisition target right now. Yes, some question its staying power, but my gut is that the site will stick. Once Obvious Corp starts to monetize the community, the cost will go up. Now is the time to get in. Wait around and the price tag will go up.
Now, onto potential suitors. As you look across the landscape, Facebook is currently a great fit for Twitter. I wouldn't count out others like Yahoo or Google either.
Regardless of who wins the bidding war, make no mistake, change is coming. If Ev and Biz want to sell - which of course is an open question - Twitter will be eaten up real soon.
Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (4)
at 08:16 on April 8th, 2007
Facebook and Twitter would be a stellar match: both favor the same style of communication. My lax-ness with my Facebook page bodes ill for my twitterability, though...
at 12:06 on April 9th, 2007
Personally, I like the instant aspect of Twitter.
So for example, you've got yourself a Twitter account, you've got hundreds if not thousands of friends scattered around the globe. You whip out your mobile phone, you tap out a quick text message and wait for the people to emerge from anywhere & everywhere local to you, with a live stream for everyone else not local and you're off to flyin' start!
It's probably quite a disruptive social venue, while not being rocket science in terms of technology or development effort...
at 08:40 on April 11th, 2007
When I first moved to the UK, pub chatter sounded like pub chatter. People talking, laughing, yelling, fighting, crying. Years later, when I moved back, that chatter had changed: mobile phones had become ubiquitous and people were talking to their handsets and not to each other, or tapping out text messages beneath the table (I got really good at that-- didn't have to look at my hands or nothin'). Twitter seems to be an other aspect of that phenomenon: interconnectedness over distance at the possible expense of immediacy with those around you. Humans are and always will be social beings, but it's funny how mobile technology has changed how we interact.
at 09:39 on April 11th, 2007
"Humans are and always will be social beings, but it's funny how mobile technology has changed how we interact."
It's a conversation still, but one not restricted to those in your immediate vacinity...